The Trump administration has been targeting sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.<\/b>
\nThe pre-dawn action was carried out by U.S. Marines and Navy, taking part in the monthslong buildup of forces in the Caribbean, according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared \u201cthere is no safe haven for criminals\u201d as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina.
Navy officials couldn\u2019t immediately provide details about whether the Coast Guard was part of the force that took control of the vessel as has been the case in the previous seizures. A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard said there was no immediate comment on the seizure.
The Olina is the fifth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by Trump\u2019s administration to control the distribution of Venezuela\u2019s oil products globally following the U.S. ouster of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid.
The latest:
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says that she has asked her foreign affairs secretary to reach out directly to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Trump regarding comments by the American leader that the U.S. cold begin ground attacks against drug cartels.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired Thursday night, Trump said, \u201cWe\u2019ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It\u2019s very sad to watch.\u201d
As she has on previous occasions, Sheinbaum downplayed the remarks, saying \u201cit is part of his way of communicating.\u201d She said she asked her Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ram\u00f3n de la Fuente to strengthen coordination with the U.S.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rebuffed Trump\u2019s offer to send U.S. troops after Mexican drug cartels. She emphasizes that there will be no violation of Mexico\u2019s sovereignty, but the two governments will continue to collaborate closely.
Analysts do not see a U.S. incursion in Mexico as a real possibility, in part because Sheinbaum\u2019s administration has been doing nearly everything Trump has asked and Mexico is a critical trade partner.
Trump says he wants to secure $100 billion to remake Venezuela\u2019s oil infrastructure, a lofty goal going into a 2:30 meeting on Friday with executives from leading oil companies. His plan rides on oil producers being comfortable in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
The president has said that the U.S. will control distribution worldwide of Venezuela\u2019s oil and will share some of the proceeds with the country\u2019s population from accounts that it controls.
\u201cAt least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,\u201d Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is banking on the idea that he can tap more of Venezuela\u2019s petroleum reserves to keep oil prices and gasoline costs low.
At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump\u2019s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
Trump is expected to meet with oil executives at the White House on Friday.
He hopes to secure $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela\u2019s oil industry. The goal rides on the executives\u2019 comfort with investing in a country facing instability and inflation.
Since a U.S. military raid captured former Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro on Saturday, Trump has said there\u2019s a new opportunity to use the country\u2019s oil to keep gasoline prices low.
The full list of executives invited to the meeting has not been disclosed, but Chevron, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend.
Attorneys general in five Democratic-led states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump\u2019s administration after it said it would freeze money for several public benefit programs.
The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud in the programs designed to help low-income families and their children. California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois and New York states filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit asks the courts to order the administration to release the funds. The attorneys general have called the funding freeze an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Iran\u2019s judiciary chief has vowed decisive punishment for protesters, signaling a coming crackdown against demonstrations.
Iranian state television reported the comments from Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei on Friday. They came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Trump\u2019s support for the protesters, calling Trump\u2019s hands \u201cstained with the blood of Iranians.\u201d
The government has shut down the internet and is blocking international calls. State media has labeled the demonstrators as \u201cterrorists.\u201d
The protests began over Iran\u2019s struggling economy and have become a significant challenge to the government. Violence has killed at least 50 people, and more than 2,270 have been detained.
Trump questions why a president\u2019s party often loses in midterm elections and suggests voters \u201cwant, maybe a check or something\u201d
Trump suggested voters want to check a president\u2019s power and that\u2019s why they often deliver wins for an opposing party in midterm elections, which he\u2019s facing this year.
\u201cThere\u2019s something down, deep psychologically with the voters that they want, maybe a check or something. I don\u2019t know what it is, exactly,\u201d he said.
He said that one would expect that after winning an election and having \u201ca great, successful presidency, it would be an automatic win, but it\u2019s never been a win.\u201d
Hiring likely remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces, though the job gains may be enough to bring down the unemployment rate.
December\u2019s jobs report, to be released Friday, is likely to show that employers added a modest 55,000 jobs, economists forecast. That figure would be below November\u2019s 64,000 but an improvement after the economy lost jobs in October. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 4.5%, according to data provider FactSet, from a four-year high of 4.6% in November.
The figures will be closely watched on Wall Street and in Washington because they will be the first clean readings on the labor market in three months. The government didn\u2019t issue a report in October because of the six-week government shutdown, and November\u2019s data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until Nov. 12.
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